Musician and legendary record producer William Orbit has died. As well as making records in his own right he worked with a multitude of artists across his career and is widely credited with reviving Madonna’s when he produced her Ray of Light album. TI am not really a fan but the two Madonna songs I regard most highly, Ray of Light and Beautiful Stranger, were both created with Orbit’s oversight.

This Orbit track, his arrangement of Samuel Barber’s composition, reached no 4 in the UK in 1999.

William Orbit: Barber’s Adagio For Strings

William Mark Wainwright (William Orbit): 15/12/1956 – 23/7/2026. So it goes.

A world-wide no 1, 2 or 3 – except in North America (and Finland) – from a band with a slightly cheeky name.

Due to the recurring lyric its title is frequently misquoted as What’s Going On?

Four Non Blondes: What’s Up?

Radiohead’s highest chart placing; no 3 in 1997.

Radiohead: Paranoid Android

Until I checked I would have said that this was Joan Osborne’s only UK hit (no 6 in 1995) but it seems she also had a no 33 the next year with a song called St Teresa.

I must confess I don’t remember that heavily accented little introduction (about the heavenly airplane [sic]) she gives in this video.

The song itself is lyrically interesting.

Joan Osborne: One of Us

In terms of chart position this was the second biggest of Del Amitri’s hits. No 13 in 1992.

Del Amitri: Always the Last to Know

The group’s second big hit and only no 1. From 1997.

The Verve: The Drugs Don’t Work

The refrain of this is very unProdigy-like (in my opinion.)  Not that lyrically there’s much to the whole thing. But reggae?

The Prodigy: Out of Space

Perry Bamonte’s death on Christmas Eve came somewhat out of the blue.

He started as one of the The Cure’s road crew and took over guitar and keyboard duties in 1990.

This is a single from their first album with him as full member, Wish, and was a no 8 in 1992.

The Cure: High

Perry Archangelo Bamonte: 3/9/1960 – 24/12/2025. So it goes.

They’re coming thick and fast.

Raul Malo of US band The Mavericks died earlier this month, but his obituary was only in the Guardian last week.

I featured their biggest UK hit, the joyous Dance the Night Away (a no 4 in 1998,) here.

This one (ther second biggest) reached no 27 later that year.

The Mavericks: I’ve Got This Feeling

Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo: 7/8/1965 – December 8/12/2025. So it goes.

Blur’s first top ten hit. It reminded me of early Pink Floyd.

Blur: There’s No Other Way